


Marks and magic

by KimsyWims



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Blood, Eventual Happy Ending, Fluff, Friendship, Grey Wardens, M/M, Mage Rights, Magic, Punishments, Romance, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, The Blight, The Taint, Torture, Violence, goofy anders, mage oppression
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-13
Updated: 2015-09-13
Packaged: 2018-04-20 15:28:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4792727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KimsyWims/pseuds/KimsyWims
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Soulmate AU. </p>
<p>Everyone in Thedas has a soulmate. Darrian Tabris is not an exception in this. As it ends up, his soulmate is a rebellious mage who is a master of escaping the circle he is stuck in. Will the elven boy from Denerim's alienage manage to become both a grey warden and find his soulmate mage partner, or will templars, the blight and circles keep them forever apart?</p>
<p>There will be difference from the games, but the main events will be followed. I hope you will enjoy this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Marks and magic

Every young boy and girl in Thedas between the ages of seven and twelve had a soul mark appear somewhere on their body. The event was rather painful ordeal but never fatal, it involved fever for several days, dreams of the other part as the link was established between two souls. The dreams was never clear, only a whiff of a scent, the color of hair and eyes. The sound of the other person's voice when it was done it would fade and the search would begin.

The mark itself would be a simple letter, in the handwriting belonging to the other part of the connection. All races got them, even the dwarves who had no magic and the Qunari who did not believe in relationships, they would all still obtain the marks.

The marks bestowed upon links where one or both parts were a mage however were a bit different from everyone else. The person bonded to the mage would get more than just a letter, they would gain something of the others personal treat as well. So if the mage in questions dearly enjoyed books there might be a book or the page of a book along with the letter.

However if you had one of those marks you would in some years come to learn just how unfair life could be, for you would never see the one you are linked to in person. Since mages were a dangerous force that must be contained they spent their entire lives in their circles. For the greater good, guarded by templars and chantry like a jealous husband.

There was no marriages between mages in the circles, boys and girls quickly learned not to find anything to love or that could be used against them. A mage was never allowed to leave the circle, not allowed having a family, also any child born within the circle was given to the chantry before the mother was even allowed to see her child. Perhaps people saw it as for the greater good, perhaps they did not know, perhaps they choose to turn a blind eye to it.

When the mages in the circles got their marks they were thorough out questioned by the knight commander and the first enchanter about their soulmates, what they had seen in the dreams, if they had seen any glimpses of where the other might be, and the letter would be noted down. Then the templars would make sure no one in the circle would be linked, those time two mages had their links in the same circle one of the mages would be sent to another circle before they had time to meet again. 

So there it was, being linked to a mage was the worst that could happen. Even if the link was to an apostate it was bad, for once, finding an apostate who knew how to hide was nearly impossible, they literary spent their entire lives staying clear of templars, doing that made one very good at hiding. Also apostates rarely searched up their link, anyone could easily give them up to the templars and being caught as an apostate most likely meant tranquility, death or throwing away the rest of their years for being dragged back to the circles. 

Of course, not everyone would send templars in the direction of apostates, for example, Darrian's parents didn't. 

Darrian was born in the Denerim alienage. For seven years his life had been as good as it was for any little elfling that lived in the elven slums of Denerim. He had friends and family, they even had a house allowing him some privacy when sleeping in his own little nook, a screen to screen himself in like a little room of his very own. They were not a rich family, but as long as they had each other, roof over their heads and friends, life was as good as it could get.

However, when Darrian was eight things had changed, drastically. It had been late night, the alienage had been mostly asleep by now, a nightmare had been hounding his sleep, crawling up on him like a sickness. Darrian could many years after it still remember that night very well. In the dream he had been chased, he was not sure what hunted him but he knew it had been bad.

As he had woken up with a scream, his little nook along with half of the main room had flooded with electricity seemingly to spring out of his very being, the room danced in the light of the bolts before they had ebbed down, leaving Darrian shaking and crying on his bed. His mother and father, who luckily slept across the room had both got up. Adia had hurried over to her son the moment the magic had ended. 

She had scooped him up in her arms hushing him kissing away his tears, as if he had not just used magic but simply had had just had a nightmare. His father had told that they had to inform the templars. That had soon escalated into his mother crying and arguing while holding him close to her chest, as if Darrian would vanish the moment she let him go, Darrian was just sniffling to his mothers nightgown.

* * *

_"If you get the templars, we will be gone when you return. They will not have him!"_

_His father had frozen on spot as those words had been spoken. Darrian who was eight might not join into the conversation but he understood what was said, he knew that they had been arguing for so long by now and it was his fault. It was his fault his mother was crying, his fault his father looked so old and tired, he knew all those things, and what could he do about it? Only cry, it seemed that was all he was good for at this moment._

_"Adia..."_

_"He is our son Cyrion! I will not let them have my son as they had my brother, I will not!"_

_Him Darrian knew who he was, he had never met his uncle but knew that he was named after him. The simple reason why he had never seen his uncle? His uncle was a mage, a mage that was made a tranquil in the Ferelden circle. That was all Darrian knew about his uncle because his mother never spoke of it, the only reason he knew was because he had accidentally overheard when his mother had got a letter, who it was that had sent it he did not know. His uncle had tried to help young mages out of the circle, he had been found out and they had taken everything from him._

_"We cannot hide what he is Adia."_

_His father sounded so tired and Darrian felt more guild bloom up in him. This was all his fault, it was his fault. If he could only just... push away what he had inside of him, the wrong inside his body then they could love him again without being sad, he wouldn't cause all this. Maybe if he tried really really hard not to ever again let nightmares scare him, he wouldn't accidentally let lightning loose in the room._

_"I will find a way Cyrion. There is always a way, we cannot send him there... Please."_

_"Maker knows I love you to the end of time... both of you, we will find a way, together."_

* * *

Darrian thought of that night often, his mother had given everything for his secret, so much she had even put her own marriage, her own bond in danger just because of him. But his father had not needed much to be swayed, Darrian did not doubt what he had said, that he loved both of them, even if Darrian would have been easier to love if he didn't have magic.

His mother had found an amulet, a bunch of earrings and a bracelet, all to suppress his magic. They had costed them more coin than they could actually afford, but they had scraped it up. To all of their relief, the objects helped, they pushed away the nightmares, forced his magic deep into the core of him. Darrian wanted to take a job to help with money, but his parents refused that until they had figured out his magic properly.

His father had a long talk with him, telling him how important it would be that  he didn't accept any offers anyone would do with him when he slept, no matter what the situation was, he was not allowed to let a demon use his body, it was as important as it was that no one outside his dreams were allowed to use his body either. Darrian promised his father he would never accept any demons offer, it was a promise he held highest, he knew how much his parents did to him and his father had practically shone up when Darrian had promised.

His mother taught him how to avoid the guards and templars, how to stay in the shadows, she also taught him dual dagger training. She said that the knowledge of how to run, how to fight with other means than just his fists would do him good. If there was ever a situation he had to fight, he would use two hidden knives that he would always carry around hidden, strapped to his thighs inside his pants. He was never allowed to fight with magic.

Darrian didn't mind that, he loved to learn what his mother could do and happily sucked up everything she could teach him in the training with their blades. Also, when he had practiced with his blades he would feel more confident against his nightmares, he had a defense against the demons if they tried to attack him. Not that they ever did anything more than try to tempt him with riches and a way out of the slums, which he never accepted because he knew better and his father had told him never ever to accept a demons whisper.

After only a year from the night his nightmare had showed that he was a mage, Darrian had learned how to repress the magic almost entirely. He could push in what magic he had to a tight lock-box inside his chest, rely in the humming from the metal he had in his ears, on his wrist and around his neck to push away magic from his body. He had mastered hiding skills, walking in shadows and keep invisible whenever he saw templars or guards. He always made sure to stay clear of the chantry if he was forced to walk in the humans marketplace since he knew most templars would be there.

Of course, things would not end there, as all other boys and girls in Thedas he would get the soulmark. It had happened when he was nine, he had first just grew a fever, turned very tired and his parents had let him sleep away an entire day. A pain as if fire, ice and lightning was clawing at his left shoulder, clawing it's way down over his chest made him scream and cry in pain. 

His mother sat with him when they had realized what it was, singing softly, gently dabbing a rag with cool water against his forehead or his naked chest to keep up with the fever. Darrian barely managed to keep his magic locked inside himself while he was sobbing begging for it to stop. His mother promised it would end, that he would be fine, he would just have to hang in there. 

* * *

  _He was sore all over his small frail elven body, but it finally was over. No more fever, no more burning pain, all left was a dull throbbing in his shoulder that his mother was gently  stroking with the cool rag. Darrian opened his big grey eyes a bit disoriented at first, he didn't know what had just happened. He thought he was dying but here he was, alive._

_"Sleep Darrian, you have gone through much my little elfling."_

_His mother always spoke to him with motherly love, as if he was still a little child, that annoyed him beyond measure. He gave up a small frustrated huff looking at her. He was nine! he would be ten next year! Why did she always treat him like a child when he was nearly a grown up!_

_"I'm not tired mother." He complained before he shifted to sit up, letting out a pained yelped. It felt as if someone had thrown scolding hot water over his shoulder as he was sitting up. "It hurts!" So, perhaps it hadn't been childish to listen to his mother this time when she told him to sleep..._

_"I know my little one."_

_Was it more sorrow in her voice? Had he done bad again? What was wrong now? Did he have more magic? He didn't ask for this! He felt the tears prickle in his eyes, he didn't want to cry like a baby in front of his mother. He was not a baby anymore, but he just couldn't do right could he? It was always wrong, all his body did was always wrong, he hated his body, he hated himself he was a disgusting wrongness of this world and he always made his parents so sad all the times._

_He couldn't help it, the tears began drop over his cheeks even if he tried hard to stop them. He felt the thin straw mattress dip under his mother's weight and felt her arms scoop him up and hold him close, quietly singing while he sobbed to the shoulder of her dress. He didn't even know what his damn body had done wrong this time, but he knew it made his mother sad, so he loathed it._

* * *

But the mark was there now. A large letter 'A' Splayed black over his left pectoral muscle, little cat paw prints was passing by the A and over his left shoulder. The A was written with a messy handwriting, they always were in the beginning as no child had perfect handwriting. The mark had made his mother cry many times over, holding him close telling him things would be all fine every time she happened to lay her eyes on it. 

Darrian hadn't understood what the little cat paw prints meant, he didn't understand that it meant that his other half was a mage and that he would most likely never see that boy more than those little glimpses.

His mark was another reason for argue between his mother and father. His father had said that within the circle he would have a chance to be with his other part, he would be able to meet the mage he was no linked with. Aida had just cried more saying she could not see him go, the risk was so large, for a year they had kept him from the circle, for a year he had been an apostate and that meant that the templars would not look kindly at him.

Again the two had agreed on keeping their child safe and secret at home. Neither wanted to loose their only son, had they had several children perhaps they would had let Darrian go to the circle for his own best, to learn, to find his link, but as for now, Aida could not bare loosing him. Cyrion could not bare to see his wife in such pain nor think of his son as a tranquil or the risk of loosing him. 

A year quickly passed in the alienage, Darrian often found himself wonder who his other half was, He had understood that he was a mage by his mark and his parents argue over said mark. He had seen the hint of blond hair, honey brown eyes and heard a mischievous laughter in the dream when he got it. It had been a boy and Darrian had thought that was much better! When they met they could be warriors together and play in the docks. A ten year old wouldn't think of his link in a romantic way, Darrian just wanted friends. 

One day he had asked his mother when she thought he'd meet with his link and his parents had sat him down to talk. They had explained to him that his link would not be in the alienage, or any other alienages, that his link was a mage and would be inside a circle. They had explained he would never see this boy, there was nothing that could be done about it. 

Darrian had just stared at them for a while before his tears had broken out and he had screamed at them that they were wrong, why did they want him to feel more broken than he was? Then he had rushed to his little part of the house and cried into his pillow until he fell asleep. His last thoughts awake circling around his link and his wish to see him so they could play and have fun together, then they could run away and live together and have all the fun they wanted. 

The fade however didn't look as it used to look for him. He was standing in a dark room with stone walls, the only reason he could see was because of his elven night vision. He wondered why he had ended up there of all places, when he was sad in the fade he usually just ended up alone in a sunny field. This felt different than his usual fade trips, it was more real, as if he was actually standing in a small little room even if he knew that he was sleeping safely in his bed at home. 

There was no desk, no bed, no shelves, no chairs. He could see the large wooden door in front of him, he decided it was worth a try. When he put his little hands on it and pushed he found it hopelessly locked of course. He sighed and rolled his eyes over that his dreams had made up a door that was locked, so typical himself, not even being able to do that right. He slowly backed away from the door to figure what to do now.

But he didn't notice the boy laying on the floor behind him and with a shriek Darrian fell straight over him, landing on his ass on the floor. His shriek was met with a loud surprised scream and both boys startled to different sides of the little room sitting staring into the dark where the other was supposedly to be. 

The boy was staring intensely into the dark, clearly not seeing him since he was looking too much to the left of him. In the dark, the only thing Darrian could tell was that the boy was about his own age, or maybe a few years older, but not really how he looked like, only that his ears were flat, so he was a human. He knew his own eyes would glimmer greenish, reflecting the tiny supply of light that came into the room from under the door. All elves had eyes that reflected in the dark, like cat's really.

"Who's there!" The boy said startled, clearly trying to be demanding but had a tone of fright in his voice.

"Uhm... me... why is it so dark?" 

Darrian looked around for any candles they could light and slowly began crawling towards the boy who had a candle just beside him. The boy yelped and pushed himself back further and Darrian quickly stopped moving, he didn't want to scare the other. But how could he? This was  **his**  dream wasn't it?

"Stay back! Are you a demon? I won't make any deals! I'm not even asleep!" 

"No I'm Darrian. How are you in my dream? Are you a demon?" 

The boy looked at the direction of his voice, still getting it a little wrong, too much to Darrian's left and crossed his arms over his chest where he sat, crossing his legs in the strange dress like clothes he wore. Darrian wondered if it was human fashion even if he had just seen chantry brothers and templars wear skirts before, maybe he shouldn't judge. 

"I'm Anders, or that's what they call me... this isn't a dream, I told you I'm not even asleep."

The blond said frowning and Darrian looked confused, he was fairly sure he was at home sleeping in his bed. How else could he be here? He didn't even know where here was, he just knew he was in a dark room  with a blond human boy he didn't know. A boy named Anders... Darrian slowly stroke a finger over his shoulder where his mark was. Anders was spelled with an A wasn't it? What if this was his A? 

"Do you have a cat?" Darrian asked shifting closer to the other boy curiously, looking at the strange robes he wore and quietly reached out touching it on the other's arm, it seemed soft but not very comfortable. "Do you have any candles?" He asked carefully

The blond boy tensed but didn't pull back from him, maybe because he was already having his back against the stone wall. "No... there is a mouser here tough, he comes in at times. I call him Mr Wiggums." Anders said smiling goofy while looking at him, this time straight where Darrian was. "There's a candle but you have to back off from me." Anders said tense. 

Darrian quickly obliged and shuffled back from him, sitting on the blanket on the floor waiting expectantly. Anders lit up the candle with magic, Darrian knew that even if he pretended as if he hadn't done it. Darrian looked at the boy, his hair was blond, his eyes brown and he was a mage, this was his link? Was this his A? 

"Do you have a D?." He asked excitedly and shuffled back closer to the blond.

"How did you know I have..."

"I have an A, on my shoulder, with paw prints."

He tugged in the loose sleeve of his slightly too large tunic. Anders shuffled closer so his long legs was instead tucked under his body as he sat close and brought the candle to look at his shoulder. Darrian shivered slightly as Anders let a finger follow the lines of the letter, it felt like if Anders was there but not really like if they were both ghosts but still could touch. Anders shivered too but gently kept tracing the mark with his fingers, following the paw prints then again the lines of the A.

Then he quickly rolled up his own sleeve and showed a messy D above two crossed daggers over the underside of his lower arm. Darrian reached out and stroke over the familiar D, it was how he wrote his own D's, the daggers could only be the fact that his mother was teaching him to fight with dual weapons and that he loved learning it. 

"Where are you? Are you in Denerim? I can find you!" Darrian said excitedly, if he knew where Anders was he could come and meet him. 

Anders lowered his head and his shoulders slumped slightly. Darrian got worried and shuffled closer to the blond. He didn't know why, but he carefully wrapped his arms around the human's middle, it simply felt like the right thing to do.

"I'm in the circle.. I'm a mage... but I'm not that bad! Please don't leave, I won't hurt you."

Darrian looked up at him. He was a mage, then this was the circle? How had he ended up in the circle when he was sleeping? Was this still a dream or had he been magically transported here? He wasn't sure, he hoped not, his mother would be crushed if he had. He wasn't sure what to say, that he wouldn't leave? That he wasn't scared because he was a mage too?

"Can.... can you keep secrets? My mother says I can't tell anyone... but..."

"I wont, as long as you stay, please just a little while longer? I've been alone for four days."

The boy wrapped his arms tightly around Darrian to keep him close. Darrian stared at him shocked, four days alone? Why was he alone? That didn't seem very fair at all to a child. He carefully leaned his head to Anders' shoulder where they sat leaned.

"Why are you alone? Where is your friends?" He asked in bewilderment.

"I tried to escape to get back home... so I have to be in solitary confinement for a week, then I'll probably have to scrub the tower clean with my toothbrush." Anders muttered annoyed.

"I am so sorry." Darrian said with a small voice huddled close "Can't they let you home for some days?" 

"I'm a mage, they say I am dangerous now, I just started a fire by accident... my father sent for the templars."

There was a shudder in Anders voice and so much sadness that Darrian got sad just listening to him talk. That was where his father wanted to send him in the start? To a place that put boys alone for a week because they missed home? He had accidentally put a lightning storm in their house but thanks to his mother he was still there, he wasn't fair how he had shouted at them earlier, tomorrow when he woke up he'd apologize.

"My uncle is there, or was, his name is Darrian too... they made him tranquil." He said carefully. Anders looked at him with wide eyes and Darrian blushed looking down even if they were still hugging close to each other. "My.... my father wanted to send me there too two years ago." He whispered. He felt Anders loosen on the hug and gasp looking straight at him.

"You... you are a mage... outside the circle?" 

"Yes... please don't tell anyone...mother says she can't loose me too and I'm not dangerous! I know not to talk to demons!" 

Fear suddenly grasped his chest, what if Anders would send templars after him now! He would know what Darrian looked like, that he lived in Denerim and his name, that would be more than enough to find him wouldn't it?

"I won't tell anyone. No mage should be forced away... your parents still love you?" 

Darrian nodded quickly meeting Anders' eyes. His parents loved him, that's why he was still there, why they kept him hidden. They believed that he wouldn't summon any demons and he wouldn't, he wouldn't ever do that, he would never even use his magic, for one, he didn't exactly know how to use it, for two, he didn't need to use it.

"I have a necklace, a couple of earrings and a bracelet that pushes the magic down so I barely knows it's there."

Darrian explained to Anders, reaching up and tapped the metal in his pointy ear. Anders reached up too and stroke his hand over one of the earrings making Darrian squirm and giggle, Anders quickly stopped but smiled slightly at him.

"Do you have someone to teach you out there?" He asked and Darrian blushed bright red, shaking his head. Anders smiled slightly more. "If you come back, I will teach you what I know." He suggested.

"I... don't know how I got here..." Darrian admitted. "I just went to bed because... my parents said I would never get to... meet with you because you were a mage and I don't live in the circle... I am sleeping right now, in real life, I think this is the fade for me... Maybe I felt you were lonely too?" Darrian said and looked up at Anders.

Anders blushed "I... uhm, asked not to being alone anymore... maybe because I am your link you felt it and came here? Maybe if we both want to you can come to me?"

"I can try it again tomorrow." Darrian offered.

"You would?" Anders asked excitedly. 

Darrian nodded with a smile. They sat quietly curled up together for a long time until Anders was slumped against him sleeping. Darrian stayed there holding onto Anders just silently looking around the room, he would maybe have tried to sleep if he could but since his body was already asleep he felt no exhaustion.

It wasn't until some hours later he felt himself slowly fading and he quick but gentle guided Anders to lay down on the blanket before he entirely faded from the room and woke up with a twitch in his own bed. Now that had been an experience, or a very strange dream, he wasn't entirely sure to be honest what it had been.

Darrian just knew that no matter what, he would see Anders again if he so would have to join the circle himself.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated, if you have any fun ideas I always draw inspiration from comments and art :)


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